Metallurgical furnace



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1` B. C. LAUTH. MBTALLURGIGAL FURNAGE.

No. 594,111. Patented NOV. 23,1897.

2 sneets-sheet '2.

(No Modem B. C. lLAUTH.

METALLURGIGAL FURNAGB.

Patented NOV. 23, 1897.

Ingmar /wma 6. M

Maf/meses UNITED VSTATES EErcE.

PATENT METALLURGICAL FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersllatent No. 594,111, dated November 23, 1897.

Application filed April 6, 1896. Serial No. 586,800. (No model.)

in which the heat from the coal or other fuel will be utilized not only by radiation but by theretardation of the flame and heated products and their direct contact with the metal to be heated.

To these ends my invention consists in a metallurgical furnace. having a hearth and a peaked roof formed of straight roof-walls extending at an upward incline of not less than twenty-five degrees from the horizontal at each end from the hearth and leading to and forming the apex at about the center of the chamber and so forming ahigh furnace-chamber, so that where the furnace is fired at both ends, to which construction of furnace this application relates in connection with its spe.- ciiic claims, the flame and gases from the firechambers will pass in an upward rolling course along such straight peaked roof, heating the metal in the furnace-chamber by downward radiation and meeting each other in the upper part of the apex of the furnace-chamber and then swirling downwardly from the same into contact with the metal upon the hearth and passing from the chamber near the hearth, so heating by radiation by direct contact and being forced downwardly within thechamber, or where a direct-acting furnace is employed the gases from the fire-chamber at one end will pass upwardly along the straight roof-wall toward the apex of the furnace, so acting by radiation to heat the metal and then will be directed along the other portion of the roof with a downward swirling motion, filling the furnace-chamber and contacting with the metal therein and being retarded in their course and forced to pass from the chamber in an outlet near the hearth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section; Fig. 3, a horizontal section. Fig. 4 is an end view of a furnace embodying the invention havingfire-chambers at each end; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a furnace embodying the invention having the hre-chamber at one end and the outlet to the stack at the other.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each View.

The furnace illustrated in Figs. l to 4 of the drawings, which embodies the preferred form of the present invention, has a hearth a, side walls b c, end walls d cl, and bridge-walls e e, the spaces between the bridge-walls and end walls forming the lire-chambers f, which can be of any desired construction, being preferably for use with coal or like solid fuel, though they may be employed with gaseous fuel. The space between the bridges e e forms the furnace-chamber h, and it will be noticed that this furnace-chamber is high, gradually increasing in height to the center or apex h'. Each roof-wall 7s lo, which extends from the end wall d in a straight course over the firechamber f and bridge e and over the furnacechamber h, meets the other roof-wall at the apex e' of the roof. Said walls are supported by being arched transversely, as indicated in the drawings. It will be noticed that the said walls extend in a straight upward incline from the end Walls CZ to the apex i, this being the essential feature of the invention and giving the results hereinafter referred to. The angle of incline of the roof-walls should not be less than twenty-five degrees. l

The furnace is provided with the central outlet-flue m, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is located under the apex i of the roof and about the level'of the hearth a, the products of combustion passing downwardly and then outwardly through this iiue m. The furnace has also any'suitable number of charging and working doors n, as shown in Fig. l. Any suitable way of introducing air for forming combustion may be employed, such as through ports 0, the air being preheated, if de sired, such points not forming essential parts of the present invention.

In the operation of the furnace fires are kindled in both fire-chambers and air is fed through the grates or in any other suit( ble IOO way, so as to generate a high heat from the fuel, which passes over the bridges into the furnace-chamber. As the natural course of the gas, arne, and heated products is to travel upwardly they will hug or follow closely to the straight peaked roof, and the heat from the same will be reflected or radiated downwardly upon the metal upon the hearth at right angles to the inclined roof, being therefore projected at an incline toward the center of the furnace-chamber and more evenly distributing the heat therein. For example, in the construction of furnace shown, which is for pile or bloom heating, the heat will be radiated down upon the piles or blooms upon the hearth. The flame will continue in such upward course with a slight rolling motion until it reaches the apex 'n' of the furnacechamber, where the two bodies of flame will contact with each other and thence be deiected downwardly in a swirling course, and as has been shown in the practical use of the furnace the flame and heated gases will then swirl downwardly into the furnace-chamber below the roof, filling the same and traveling backwardly over the metal exposed upon the hearth, so that not only is the radiated heat obtained, but the metal is further heated from direct contact with the heated products. After swirling and so filling the furnacechamber and being brought into contact with the metal to be heated the gases pass outwardly through the central flue m, which is placed about level with the hearth, so that the gases are retarded in their outward passage and can then be conducted off from the furnace and practically all the heat thereof is utilized. The peculiar shape of the straight peaked roof so described therefore provides for both the utilization of the radiated heat and the heat obtained by contact of the gasesv with the metal to be acted upon, practical use of the furnace showing that it can be operated very economically,and, further, that even in a long furnace-chamber the heat is so evenly distributed that the piles, billets,

or blooms placed in any part of the furnacechamber can be evenly heated and that there is no necessity of the moving of the same from place to place in order to bring them to the proper heat, as is customary in large heating-furnaces.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a furnace enibodying the invention where but one lirechamber is employed-t'. e., a direct-acting furnace. As so constructed the furnace has the fire-chamber r, furnace-chamber s, the roof-wall t extending from the fire-chamber and over the front portion of the furnacechamber and meeting the roof-wall t' at the apex 152, the furnace having a neck or outletport u, opening into the stack fu, it also being noticed that the roof-wall t rests at its lower portion on the vertical end wall w above the neck u. When this furnace is in use, the heat and flame pass from the nre-chamber upwardly along the straight upwardly-inclined wall t, and the heat therefrom is radiated or deiiected down upon the hearth y of the furnace until it reaches the apex t2,when, on account of the straight upwardly-inclined walls, the gases are deflected downwardly by the inner face of the roof-wall t" and caused to pass in a swirling course within the furnace-chamber, and so caused to fill the chamber, being brought into direct contact with the metal upon the hearth. As the gases are compelled to pass downwardly to the neck u, their course in this way being assisted by the vertical end Wall w, they are retarded Within,the chamber, so that practically all the heat of the gases is utilized, the practical working of the furnace showing its high heating powers.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A metallurgical furnace having a firechamber, a hearth, and a high peaked roof formed of straight roof -walls extending up from each end over the hearth at an angle of not less than twenty-five degrees from the horizontal and forming an angle at about the center thereof, so forming a high furnacechamber, substantially as set forth.

2. A metallurgical furnace having a firechamber, a hearth and a high peaked roof formed of straight roof-walls extending up from each end over the hearth at an angle of not less than twenty-five degress from the horizontal and forming an angle at about the center thereof, and an outlet-flue centrally of the furnace-chamber at about the level ofthe hearth, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said BERNARD C. LAUTH, have hereunto set my hand.

BERNARD c. LAUTH.

Witnesses:

JAMES I. KAY, ROBERT O. TOTTEN( IOO 

